“Expats,” a new Amazon Prime Video series, follows the stories of three dispirited American women living in Hong Kong. Based on the novel “The Expatriates” by Korean American author Janice Y. K. Lee, the series from director Lulu Wang attempts to explore complex class and race issues in the city’s polarized political climate. However, the striking visuals reminiscent of Wong Kar-Wai’s atmospheric filmmaking style might be the star of the show, rather than the plot.
The show examines the intertwining of the American womens’ lives as expatriates in a foreign city. The events of the series are around the disappearance of an expat child, Gus (Connor James), the son of one of the American women, Margaret (Nicole Kidman). Her Korean American babysitter, Mercy (Ji-young Yoo), feels responsible for the incident, while her neighbor, Hilary (Sarayu Blue), feels estranged from Margaret after Gus’ disappearance. Hilary is suspicious of her husband David’s (Jack Huston) involvement in Gus’ disappearance, resulting in David starting an affair with a guilt-ridden Mercy.
One of the show’s central themes is the exploration of grief and loss. Citing Korean director Bong Joon-Ho’s “Mother” (2009) as a creative influence for the show, it is clear that she wanted to capture maternal desperation in a raw manner — especially in the story arc of Margaret. Along with her cinematographer Anna Franquesa-Solano, Wang constructs the American expatriate’s shifting mental states. Changes in the show’s color-grading and lighting symbolize the transition in the storyline and Margaret’s own healing. From the blurry-shaded scenes of the earlier episodes to the finale, which is predominantly lit by natural light, the show’s shifting aesthetic mirrors an emotionally laden, further enhances Kidman’s evocative performance.
Aside from representing narrative development, the show’s depiction of Hong Kong — dominated by shots of blue-tinted skylines and over-saturated frames of neon lights — shed light on the port city’s dramatic economic divides. Mercy, the Queens native coming from a working-class background, is shown to have significantly less advantages than the affluent Margaret and Hilary. Mercy works multiple jobs to stay afloat, scraping by in a dingy apartment. At the same time, Margaret constantly complains about her exorbitant, housewife lifestyle funded by her husband’s massive paycheck.
We see in the fifth episode, “Central,” Margaret’s maid, Essie (Ruby Ruiz) is torn between returning to her family in the Philippines and remaining in Hong Kong to work for the family, despite being underpaid. The show depicts the American characters disregarding the power imbalance and financial chokehold they have over their workers in the name of loyalty. By showcasing the lives of the domestic workers in expat households, “Expats” reveals a lack of understanding for the socially and economically disadvantaged local workers.
Yet, the show seems indecisive in the execution. The fifth episode touched on the domestic workers’ inner lives and struggles, but these stories are merely ornamental in comparison to the development of the American characters. The critical lens surrounding the expats’ unfair expectations of devotion from their staff are considerably brief. Hilary confides in Puri (Amelyn Pardenilla), her housekeeper, about her miserable marriage, which misleads Puri to feel genuinely cared for. However, when Hilary disregards Puri’s requested day off the morning after, the depiction of Puri’s internal narrative is halted. There is little resolution provided to Puri and Essie’s relationship at the end of the show, while the trajectory of the American characters’ lives is more distinct. This representation does amplify the white saviorhood that Margaret and Hillary perpetuate, but fails to address the inequalities by characterizing minority voices.
Wang’s new show continues to display her technical strengths as a filmmaker — she is able to realize her visions with technically sound and thoughtful production. Despite this, a six-episode limit seems to have impeded on the team’s ability to explore and wrap up the multitude of nuanced ideas that the show introduces. Regardless of the let down in the finale, Wang displays a touching introspection on Hong Kong and identity through her craft.
Contact Kaitlyn Sze Tu at [email protected].